Are You Scared?

Are You Scared?
Chapter 52
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Elena

After holding me for a while, we sat on the bed again.

I leaned into his side, my head resting on his shoulder while his fingers played absently with mine. I kept watching the way his thumb moved over the back of my hand. Slow, gentle. Like he knew I was carrying something but wasn’t going to ask again, like he was waiting.

And maybe he was. But he didn’t push, not even once.

The silence between us wasn’t awkward. It never really was. It was that kind of silence you could only share with someone who made the air around you feel softer, not heavier.

At some point, I looked up at him.

"Stay a little longer?"

He nodded without even blinking. "Yeah. As long as you want."

So we just stayed like that.

Later, I moved to the floor. My back against the bedframe. Kael also followed. He stretched his legs out and pulled me close between them, my back pressed to his chest.

We watched the rain hit the windows; slow and steady.

"Have you ever thought about running away?" I asked suddenly.

He hummed. "From what?"

"Everything. You know the pressure, the duties, the expectations."

Kael rested his chin lightly on my shoulder. "Maybe when I was younger. Before I understood what it meant to protect people. Back then it felt like a burden, now it feels like a choice."

I nodded. "I think about it sometimes. Not leaving for good, just disappearing for a while. Like, getting a crappy cabin in the middle of nowhere and letting the world forget we exist."

He chuckled under his breath. "Crappy cabin, huh?"

"Mm-hmm. No tech. Just food, books, and a fireplace that never works properly."

"Sounds cozy."

"Sounds real."

He squeezed my waist gently. "If you ever go, take me with you."

I smiled at that.

We stayed like that until the rain stopped.

When Kael finally stood, it was late. I could see the hesitation in his eyes. Like he didn’t want to leave, but he knew he should.

"You should sleep," he said.

I nodded.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Night, Elena."

"Night."

The door clicked shut behind him.



The next morning, I woke up late than usual. I was probably exhausted.

The ceremony was tomorrow. Everyone was buzzing about it already. There were meetings, arrangements, decorations. Warriors were training more aggressively. The kitchen smelled like they were cooking enough food for an army.

I avoided all of it.

I stayed in my room until early afternoon, then finally forced myself into the shower. The water helped, but it didn’t wash away the ache in my stomach.

I checked the healer's note again.

"Signs are consistent. Further confirmation pending."

I knew what that meant. I wasn’t stupid.

I was pregnant, and I had to tell Kael eventually.


I found Rhea in the gardens. She was sitting under the willow tree, half-asleep, book open on her lap.

"You look like someone who knows something they shouldn't," I said.

She cracked one eye open. "I always know things I shouldn't. Sit."

We both laughed, then I dropped beside her.

We didn’t talk for a while, we just sat in the shade, listening to birds and distant training noises.

Finally, she spoke. “How do you feel about tomorrow?”

“I can't really tell, but one thing I know is I'm kinda nervous yet excited.

“It's always like that.” She reassured me.

I nodded and smiled at her.

Her gaze suddenly softened. "When are you gonna make up your mind to tell him?"

"I don’t know."

"Are you scared?"

"A little."

She shut her book. "He loves you."

I looked at her. "I know, and that’s what makes it harder."

“I don't think he is going to react awkwardly to it.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. "You’ll do it when it feels right, just don’t wait too long okay?”

I nodded and squeezed her hand back.



Later that evening, Kael found me in the hall outside the war room. I was just leaving when the door opened and he stepped out.

"Hey," he said.

I smiled. "Busy day?"

"Always."

He fell in step beside me. We walked without saying much.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked.

"Where to?"

"Im not sure yet. Just... away from here for a bit."

I nodded.

We ended up near the edge of the woods. The sun was just starting to set slowly.

He walked beside me, hands in his pockets, quiet. I could tell his mind was full.

"What is it?" I asked.

He glanced at me. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"The future. You. Tomorrow. Everything."

I stopped walking and turned to him.

He paused too.

I reached out and took his hand. "Kael."

His eyes found mine, I saw something flickered there.

Vulnerability.

"You don’t have to carry all of it alone either."

He exhaled, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Sometimes it feels like if I let go for one second, everything will fall apart."

"Then maybe it needs to fall a little. Maybe that’s the only way we figure out what matters."

He stepped closer, resting his forehead against mine. "You matter."

I closed my eyes. "So do you."

We stood there for a while.

Kael pulled me into a hug again, and I let myself melt into him.

Everything else could wait.



We walked back when it started getting dark.

When we got to my door, he lingered.

"You sure you’re okay?" he asked again.

I nodded. "Just tired."

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I’ll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

He hesitated. "Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"If something’s on your mind, you can tell me. I’ll wait until you’re ready, but don’t shut me out. Please."

I looked up at him.

"I won’t, I promise."

I watched him walk away, and my hand went to my stomach.

I felt a tingle around my body. I guess I was really looking forward to tomorrow, and maybe I was finally ready to tell him.